It continues until fall. "During the winter I have time to play backgammon," says Muli Perlman, a veteran dog and cat groomer. "At this time most dogs are brought in for shampooing after having played in the mud. Few owners are interested in a winter haircut. Sometimes, owners bring their dogs for a haircut only because they did not brush them and dead fur collected," Perlman reveals. "I tell every customer: 'Keep a brush in your back pocket and brush the dog at every opportunity.' You also have to brush against the direction of hair growth - this technique takes out a lot of dead fur. In addition, brushing is also a nice massage for the dog."

Cats also need frequent brushing. This is especially true of long-haired cats, such as Persians. "If you don't brush them every day, they begin to get dreadlocks," explains veterinarian Dr.

Housebroken pet knows enough to do his business in the bathroom

In the fall, we adopted Charlie from a rescue shelter. He was cute, cuddly, and a complete mess. Matted hair. An ear infection. An eye infection. And bathroom habits that would shame any well-behaved animal.

Well, a trip to the vet took care of the infections. And then the groomer, Marianne, had her way with the clippers. Our new little Shih-Tzu/Lhasa Apso mix was bald. And cuter. The only odd thing revealed by the haircut was that his little nose and mouth seemed to be pushed to his right, giving him a perpetually quizzical look.

We took this in stride.

But the house-breaking issue was something else. He peed and pooped everywhere but outside. And we gave him plenty of fresh-air opportunities.

We figured he'd been shuffled around so much that his bathroom priorities had been scrambled.

Crooks use the Web and puppies in scam

PHOENIX (AP) - Ads appearing in Arizona online and print classifieds offer English Bulldog and Yorkshire Terrier puppies and all you do is pay for shipping.The hitch is when contacted by e-mail, the giver says they're on a religious mission in Africa and they need a few hundred dollars to ship the dog.

Best in show: Man’s best friend on display at fairgrounds

Staff photo by Robb Pittard Sue Cannimore from Madison, Miss., an American Kennel Club registered handler, grooms one of two Lhasa Apso purebreds seconds before being called to participate in the Kennel Club of Texarkana Dog Show Saturday afternoon. The event was held at the Four States Fairgrounds Entertainment Complex and will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. .

Sleep with Fluffy? Of course. Take her to the vet? Um, no.

VANCOUVER -- We like to pamper our pets, sleep with them, include them in family photographs and take them to the spa -- but apparently they're not getting many dates with the vet.